Joshua Tree Wilderness Gear Checklist
Joshua Tree backpacking is a water-carry trip first. The park says to bring all your own, at least a gallon per person per day, and the people we read hid extra jugs at trailheads and road crossings. The park now also requires you to pack out human waste, so the toilet kit changes. Add rock anchors for sandy wash campsites and warm layers for desert nights that fall far below the afternoon.
What shapes your gear on Joshua Tree
- Zones and camp rules
- The park lists fifteen camping zones on its backpacking page, while Recreation.gov lists 13. Only the Boy Scout Trail zone requires designated sites, and the park and Recreation.gov both count 14 of them. Everywhere else you camp at large, at least 1 mile from any backcountry trailhead, a half mile from a road and 200 feet from a trail.
From Joshua Tree National Park (NPS): Backpacking in Joshua Tree National Park and Recreation.gov
- Boy Scout Trail
- The park calls it a 7.8-mile trail, climbing from about 2,800 feet at Indian Cove to about 4,000 feet at the Boy Scout trailhead. A Treeline guide counts 16 miles as an out and back, reports little climbing in one direction, and says to expect a 45-minute drive between the two trailheads if you set up a car shuttle.
From Joshua Tree National Park (NPS): Boy Scout Trail Zone Backpacking and Treeline
- Water
- Surface water is rare and reserved for wildlife. The park wants at least one gallon per person per day and says caching is fine. Treeline says the only faucet along the Boy Scout Trail is at the West Entrance Station, and Recreation.gov lists a handful of potable water points around the park.
From Joshua Tree National Park (NPS): Backpacking in Joshua Tree National Park, Recreation.gov and Treeline
- Weather
- The park says conditions run from blistering heat to freezing cold, with gale-force wind, heavy rain and snow all possible. A Treeline author calls March or April best for wildflowers and says May through September can top 100°F. A January group in a backpacking forum was told that lows can reach the teens.
From Joshua Tree National Park (NPS): Backpacking in Joshua Tree National Park, Treeline and Backpacking Light forum: Advice: First time visiting Joshua Tree NP
- Permit
- A permit costs $6 for one to twelve people and up to 14 nights, with no more than three in a row in one zone. Book it on Recreation.gov up to six months ahead, and a printed or phone copy satisfies the carry rule. Same-day online booking runs to 11:59 pm on Recreation.gov, while the park's own permit office closes at 4 pm. A 2016 blog says no advance permit was needed, which is out of date.
From Joshua Tree National Park (NPS): Backpacking in Joshua Tree National Park, Recreation.gov and Hiking in Joshua Tree National Park (blog)
What the agency requires on Joshua Tree
A wag bag or other approved waste-removal system
The park says burying human waste is no longer allowed. All visitors must carry it out in a wag bag or another approved system, and pack out all toilet paper too. The park's own video still shows the old rule, and Recreation.gov still describes cat holes six to eight inches deep, so the backpacking page is the version to follow.
From Joshua Tree National Park (NPS): Backpacking in Joshua Tree National Park and Recreation.gov
Your permit, printed or on your phone
You must carry the permit with you. The park accepts a printed copy or an electronic one. The old yellow self-registration permit is prohibited.
From Joshua Tree National Park (NPS): Backpacking in Joshua Tree National Park and Recreation.gov
A hard-sided, labeled container for any water cache
Cached water goes in hard-sided containers marked with your name, dates of use and a contact. Do not hide a cache in plants, take the containers out when the trip ends, and use the wildlife lockers provided at five trailheads (Twin Tanks, Geology Tour Road, Ryan Campground, Juniper Flats and Upper Covington Flats) when you can.
From Joshua Tree National Park (NPS): Backpacking in Joshua Tree National Park and Recreation.gov
A stove instead of a fire
Campfires are illegal in the backcountry. Backpacking camp stoves are fine.
From Joshua Tree National Park (NPS): Backpacking in Joshua Tree National Park
A tent that stands without plant tie-outs
Never anchor a tent or hammock to a plant, including a Joshua tree, and keep the tent off vegetation.
From Joshua Tree National Park (NPS): Backpacking in Joshua Tree National Park
What hikers carry on Joshua Tree
Gallon jugs and a water-cache plan
A summer group drove in the night before, hid water near two trail road intersections and picked up empty buckets afterward. A May father and son found one gallon each per day about right in the mid 80s to low 90s, and planned a quarter to a half gallon more in hotter weather. Treeline says that by car you can only cache at the two trailheads, so a one-way hike means carrying everything.
From Backpacking Light forum: Joshua Tree 7/25-28, Hiking in Joshua Tree National Park (blog), Treeline and Joshua Tree National Park (NPS): Backpacking in Joshua Tree National Park
A shelter plus rocks for anchors
A hiker who covered 180 miles used a trekking-pole tent every night, adding extra rock anchors most nights because sandy washes and gravel hold stakes poorly. Treeline's group also used trekking poles to hold up lightweight tents.
From Backpacking Light forum: Advice: First time visiting Joshua Tree NP and Treeline
A sleeping bag and pad warm enough for winter nights
The Treeline author used a 30°F bag at the lower, warmer Indian Cove camps in February. The author also warns that nights can run about 40 degrees below the day, and carries an insulated pad with a repair kit because of spiny plants. A January forum reply says it can reach the teens.
From Treeline and Backpacking Light forum: Advice: First time visiting Joshua Tree NP
Long sleeves, a sun hat and sunscreen
A May father and son, one in long sleeves and pants and one in shorts, both applied sunscreen twice a day and neither burned. Treeline says nearly every hiker they saw wore a sun shirt because there is so little shade.
From Hiking in Joshua Tree National Park (blog) and Treeline
A map, compass and a navigation app
Treeline says the trail follows washes that are easy to mistake for it, so the author tracks with an app. A May hiker needed a compass on the flats near Turkey Flats, where neither the car nor the road was visible. A summer group wandered washes for hours after a planned connector trail turned out not to exist.
From Treeline, Hiking in Joshua Tree National Park (blog), Backpacking Light forum: Joshua Tree 7/25-28 and Joshua Tree National Park (NPS): Backpacking in Joshua Tree National Park
A small tarp for shade
Midday shade is scarce. A summer group put up a tarp for shade at a summit lunch and again at a water cache, and a May pair squeezed into about a foot of shadow behind a rock block.
From Backpacking Light forum: Joshua Tree 7/25-28 and Hiking in Joshua Tree National Park (blog)
A rain jacket, even on a clear forecast
Treeline says it rarely rains in the park but pours when it does, and tells readers not to hike the trail without rain gear. A July group got 15 minutes of steady rain at 10:30 pm.
From Treeline and Backpacking Light forum: Joshua Tree 7/25-28
A small stove, or a no-cook menu
A May pair liked a pocket stove that never blew out in the breeze. The Treeline author wanted hot dinners in winter, when it got dark at 5 pm. A July group went no-cook with meat, cheese, bars and nuts.
From Hiking in Joshua Tree National Park (blog), Treeline and Backpacking Light forum: Joshua Tree 7/25-28
12 people can go on one permit. Split this list between them so nobody carries two stoves.
Plan a trip hereWhat hikers regret or leave behind on Joshua Tree
A cat-hole trowel as your only toilet kit
Treeline still tells hikers to bring a potty trowel and says the trail has no toilets, but the park now bans burying waste and requires a wag bag. Treat the older advice as out of date.
From Treeline and Joshua Tree National Park (NPS): Backpacking in Joshua Tree National Park
A water jug tucked under a bush
The Treeline author hides jugs under a bush and marks the spot with a phone waypoint. The park says not to hide caches in plants and to use hard-sided containers, and Treeline adds that ravens can peck through thin plastic.
From Treeline and Joshua Tree National Park (NPS): Backpacking in Joshua Tree National Park
Too many clothes
One May hiker packed too much for the night chill and removed more items from his pack on each later day because he never used them.
Standard stakes in a sandy wash
The hiker with the trekking-pole tent says sand and gravel at wash campsites do not hold stakes well. Rocks to pile on the anchors are easy to find.
From Backpacking Light forum: Advice: First time visiting Joshua Tree NP
Gear questions for Joshua Tree
Do I need a wag bag for Joshua Tree backpacking?
Yes. The park's backpacking page says burying human waste is no longer permitted, and visitors must pack out waste in a wag bag or another approved system, plus all toilet paper. Older pages, including Recreation.gov's text and some guides, still describe cat holes.
From Joshua Tree National Park (NPS): Backpacking in Joshua Tree National Park, Recreation.gov and Treeline
How much water should I carry for Joshua Tree backpacking?
The park sets a floor of one gallon per person per day and says to bring more for heat or hard terrain. A May pair found a gallon each about right in the mid 80s to low 90s and planned more for heat.
From Joshua Tree National Park (NPS): Backpacking in Joshua Tree National Park and Hiking in Joshua Tree National Park (blog)
Can I cache water for a Joshua Tree backpacking trip?
Yes, the park says caching is welcome. Use hard-sided containers labeled with your name, contact and dates, do not hide them in plants, and remove them afterward. Lockers are provided at five trailheads. Treeline says that by car you can only cache at the two trailheads.
From Joshua Tree National Park (NPS): Backpacking in Joshua Tree National Park, Recreation.gov and Treeline
Do I need a permit for Joshua Tree backpacking?
Yes, for every overnight trip. It costs $6 and covers up to 12 people for up to 14 nights. Book on Recreation.gov up to six months ahead, or in person at the permit office before 4 pm. A printed or phone copy works.
From Joshua Tree National Park (NPS): Backpacking in Joshua Tree National Park and Recreation.gov
How many campsites are on the Boy Scout Trail in Joshua Tree?
The park and Recreation.gov say 14 designated campsites, and you must camp in one of them. Treeline counts 15 along the trail, so use the number on your permit.
From Joshua Tree National Park (NPS): Backpacking in Joshua Tree National Park, Joshua Tree National Park (NPS): Boy Scout Trail Zone Backpacking, Recreation.gov and Treeline
Sources
- Backpacking in Joshua Tree National Park · Joshua Tree National Park (NPS) · Agency
- Boy Scout Trail Zone Backpacking · Joshua Tree National Park (NPS) · Agency
- Joshua Tree National Park Wilderness Backpacking Permits · Recreation.gov · Agency
- Backpacking the Boy Scout Trail in Joshua Tree National Park · Treeline · Blog
- Joshua Tree 7/25-28 · Backpacking Light forum, James Cahill · Forum thread
- Advice: First time visiting Joshua Tree NP · Backpacking Light forum · Forum thread
- Four days of backpacking in Joshua Tree · Hiking in Joshua Tree National Park (blog) · Trip report